Category Archives: Bible passages

Matthew 9:35-38

Praying for mission

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” Matthew 9:37

Context

Our church has set aside the next fortnight to heighten our work on spreading the gospel and calling people to return to God through Christ. In this week’s study, we will look at a short account from Matthew on spreading the gospel which will hopefully lead to praying for the week ahead.

In this passage in Matthew, Jesus, who began to gather his disciples in chapter 4 and tell them to be fishers of men, has been drawing in many people through his teaching and healing. While the disciples have been following Jesus and learning by watching, they are about to be sent out on their own to fish for men (chapter 10 following).

Observation

“Jesus went…proclaiming the good news of the kingdom…” This first sentence is echoing Matthew 4:23. Jesus is doing what he did from the beginning of his ministry. While he healed diseases and sicknesses, Jesus proclaimed the good news. By proclaimed, he declared, taught, and announced publicly. The good news is literally the gospel and the gospel is the good news about the kingdom. This is, of course, God’s kingdom. In Matt 3:2 he said, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” The first good news about the Kingdom is that it has come near and it is not too late to repent. This is the primary message of the good news – it is good that the Kingdom has come near. In the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-12), Jesus described the kingdom of heaven as for those who are poor in spirit and who thirst and hunger for righteousness. The Kingdom of God is open to those who seek it!

“When he saw the crowds…” People were flocking to see Jesus. He not only had a message that they wanted but he had the ministry of healing. Note that this healing ministry, though not undesirable, is by and large limited to Jesus and his disciples (see 10:1).

“…harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” Perhaps harassed and helpless is related to the physical needs but it is more likely related to their spiritual needs because of the sheep metaphore. They need leadership into the kingdom of heaven. They are being pushed this way and that with no direction. They need to be shown the way.

“The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.” This is no longer a metaphor of shepherding but of reaping a crop. In Jesus’ message he sees that it’s harvesting time. It’s not time to plant or wait but to bring in the fruit. There is work to be done and the shortage is in the workers department, not in the fruitful crop.

“Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” God (the Lord) is the farmer here. His field. His crop. His work has come to the moment of harvesting. What he needs is labourers to go and reap. The prayer of Jesus is not for the lost souls. He has compassion on them. The prayer request is for workers to step up and collect what is waiting to be collected. Are there prayers in the bible that ask for people to be saved? Even if there are, aren’t there far more prayers directed to Christians to go, to minister, to be God’s ambassadors, to be bold and to raise up?

Meaning

Jesus has called the disciples and taught them about the kingdom of heaven. He has modelled to them what it is like to announce the good news that God’s kingdom is ready to receive people who repent and desire it. Jesus expresses the need for more workers to do what Jesus is doing. His desire is for us to pray for more workers.

Application

  • Pray for workers for the harvest. The week of mission is upon us and we need to pray for the following:
    • The clear announcement that Jesus is Lord.
    • The clear announcement that Jesus saves.
    • That our church community will want more people to join us.
    • That our church community will proactively and boldly speak to others about their trust in Jesus.
    • Thank God that we have good news to tell.
    • Thank God that this is his mission and that he is the Lord of the harvest who wants this work to prosper.
    • Thank God for the Lord Jesus Christ.
    • Thank God for one another and pray for one another for specific ideas and plans for mission.
    • Ask God to grow his kingdom through us.

Prayer of the Week

Father, please raise up more workers for the harvest and may we see fruit in your mission. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Proverbs – Wise Emotion

Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.

In your anger do not sin: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Ephesians 4:26–27

Context

Humans are emotional creatures. We possess something beyond simple “animal instincts” and we are created with complex passions with the potential for both good and evil. At the watershed moment of human testing it was both reason and emotion that let us down. “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.” (Genesis 3:6) Eve’s desires were tested and rather than being zealous for wisdom and life, she succumbed to the lure of Satan’s lie. In the very next chapter of Genesis, Cain killed his own brother because he nurtured anger against him (Gen 4:6-8). And so the story of the Bible repeats page after page with descriptions of rage, jealousy, mourning, grief, pride and envy. But our emotions give us the potential for great joy and excitement and laughter and love.

In the book of Proverbs, the greatest advice is to put on love while the loudest warnings involve the emotion called anger.

Observation

The following are a list of quotes from the book of Proverbs with a brief NOTE in CAPS after each to suggest what the verse says about emotions.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. (Pr 3:3–4).

FOR LOVE

Each heart knows its own bitterness,
and no one else can share its joy. (Pr 14:10).

INTRO QUESTION about personal nature of emotion

Even in laughter the heart may acheand rejoicing may end in grief.  (Pr 14:13).

INTRO QUESTION about temporality of emotion

A quick-tempered person does foolish things, and the one who devises evil schemes is hated. (Pr14:17)

AGAINST QUICK TEMPER

Whoever is patient has great understanding, but one who is quick-tempered displays folly. (Pr 14:29)

FOR PATIENCE – AGAINST QUICK TEMPOR

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. (Pr 14:30).

FOR CONTENTMENT – AGAINST ENVY

A king delights in a wise servant, but a shameful servant arouses his fury. (Pr 14:35).

AGAINST PROVOKING OTHERS

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. (Pr 15:1).

FOR WISE WORDS – AGAINST FOOLISH WORDS

A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel.(Pr 15:18).

FOR PATIENCE and CALMING NATURES – AGAINST QUICK TEMPER

A violent person entices their neighbor and leads them down a path that is not good. (Pr 16:29).

?AGAINST VIOLENCE?

A person’s wisdom yields patience; it is to one’s glory to overlook an offense. (Pr 19:11).

FOR PATIENCE

A hot-tempered person must pay the penalty; rescue them, and you will have to do it again. (Pr 19:19).

FOR DISCIPLINE – AGAINST HOT TEMPER

A king’s wrath strikes terror like the roar of a lion; those who anger him forfeit their lives. (Pr 20:2).

AGAINST ANGERING OTHERS

A gift given in secret soothes anger, and a bribe concealed in the cloak pacifies great wrath. (Pr 21:14).

FOR SOOTHING ANGER and PACIFYING WRATH

Better to live in a desert than with a quarrelsome and nagging wife. (Pr 21:19).

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The proud and arrogant person—“Mocker” is his name— behaves with insolent fury. (Pr 21:24).

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Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control.  (Pr 25:28).

FOR SELF CONTROL – AGAINST LACK OF SELF CONTROL

Anger is cruel and fury overwhelming, but who can stand before jealousy?(Pr 27:4).

AGAINST ANGER AND FURY AND JEALOUSY

Mockers stir up a city, but the wise turn away anger. (Pr 29:8).

FOR PACIFIERS – AGAINST STIRERS

Fools give full vent to their rage, but the wise bring calm in the end. (Pr 29:11).

FOR CALMING – AGAINST RELEASING RAGE

An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins. (Pr 29:22).

AGAINST STIRRING and HOT TEMPER

For as churning cream produces butter, and as twisting the nose produces blood, so stirring up anger produces strife. (Pr 30:33).

AGAINST STIRRING

WHERE GOD IS ANGRY? Exodus? Jesus in the temple?

In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold. (Eph 4:26–27).

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. (1 Co 13:4–8).

Meaning

The bible promotes love (3:3) and demotes hot temper and rash anger (29:11, 22). God’s wisdom is to foster contentment (14:30) and self-control (25:28) within and even assist in pacifying those around us (21:14).

Application

  • While anger is not a sin (since God displays wrath and anger) it does manifest what we are most passionate for and that is for our own glory, not God’s.
  • Don’t let the sun go down on your anger and do not keep a record of wrongs
  • Make anger your signal to listen to where your heart is at – count to ten and pray and then consider what your next move ought to be for the glory of God.
  • Our words can be used to cut people deeply or to heal. What are some examples of soothing words and calming remarks which can pacify a situation in either yourself (self-talk) or in another person?
  • Commit to memorise 1 Corinthians 13!

Prayer of the Week

Our Lord and our God, thank you for first loving us and being patient and slow to anger. Please help us to be clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Help us to bear with one another and to forgive one another as you forgave us. And over all of this, Father, please help us to put on love. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Proverbs: Wise Spending

What shall we do with money?

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
1 Timothy 6:10

Context

The book of Proverbs has a story to tell. Through parables and sayings we have heard that wisdom is good and the only way to truly live, while folly is bad and leads to destruction. Chapters 1 to 9 painted a worldview where wisdom from God is to be dearly sort after and that wickedness and foolishness must be spotted and rejected. Proverbs 3:5-6 is famous for good reason:

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
In all your ways acknowledge him,
And he will make straight your paths.

In this study and the next, we will look at what the book of Proverbs says about a particular issue. It will be good to remember that we are to trust God and not put our own instincts in charge. We looked at the topic of wealth in our previous study book. That study focused on how to think about money, how to earn it and where our hearts ought to be. This week we will focus on how we spend our money.

Sayings and Proverbs that relate to this topic

Proverbs 3:9-10

Honor the Lord with your wealth
and with the firstfruits of all your produce;
then your barns will be filled with plenty,
and your vats will be bursting with wine.

Comments: To honour the Lord with the firstfruits is to give it away! Numbers 28:26 says concisely that the first of the harvest is to be offered to the LORD in thanksgiving (see also Exod 23:16; Lev 2:12; Deut 18:4). It is accompanied with sacrifices and is part of the Levitical law but it communicates that thanksgiving is to be given first for the land producing crop. Although the Levitical law has lost its primary power this side of the cross, it is still important for giving wisdom. Notice that giving is a primary ingredient for ongoing profit (Prov 3:10).

Summary: Always give thanks to God.

Proverbs 22:7

The rich rule over the poor,
and the borrower is slave to the lender.

Comments: Taken separately, these two statements are just true on their own merit: the rich have the power to pay for poorer people to do stuff and if you owe someone money, then you are indebted to them until it is paid off and therefore not independent. But taken together, it is better to be able to independently paying for things than to need rich people’s ‘help’. Better to buy a $4K car with your own money than to drive a $25K car you needed help to pay for.

Summary: It is wise to avoid debt.

Proverbs 19:17

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will reward them for what they have done.

Comments: Contrast this with Proverbs 22:7 and we have wisdom for the rich is to see lending money as a positive thing. When we have the power and opportunity to help someone else then we do this. The Lord uses the generosity of people to do his work. Our money ought to be in service to the Lord. Notice that when money is lent to the poor, the Proverb describes the payback as coming from the Lord. It suggests that we ought to give without expecting to see that money returned from the poor person. See Proverbs 14:31.

Summary: See your money as a tool for God’s work. Be generous rather than an investor at people’s expense.

Proverbs 28:22

The stingy are eager to get rich
and are unaware that poverty awaits them.

Comments: Stingy would be the opposite of generous. Our instinct is to keep everything in order to have as much as possible but God’s wisdom says that generosity will get you far. What we have will be taken from us whether we like it or not and will we have treasure in heaven? The stingy are not willing to give to the poor because that equates to having less for themselves. But a heart that is for God will release its grip on money.

Summary: Release your grip on money and trust God for your future.

Proverbs 21:17

Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.

Comments: This proverb requires context. The love of pleasure is a euphemism for loving the things of this world rather than simply wanting to be happy. Loving wine and olive oil is to indulge in luxury. Other Proverbs speak of the downward spiral of those who love wine (23:20-21). Compare this proverb with the one that sees the value of money (13:11) and the one that says put in a day’s work (12:11).

Summary: An expensive life is expensive. Live within your means and make you means meaningful.

Proverbs 13:22

A good person leaves an inheritance for their children’s children,
but a sinner’s wealth is stored up for the righteous.

Comments: Take the first statement first. It is good and wise to look after your children. There is a godly responsibility for a person to think beyond themselves and take care of their family. 1 Timothy 5:8 is strong on this subject. The lesson is not that the grandchildren ought to expect a handout since this is a lesson for the parents. It is for the adult to show responsibility. The second statement, in its context, teaches that wealth stored up in a stingy manner and kept for self will be passed on to someone eventually. The inheritance will not go to who you may have wanted it to go but to those who God will bless. It seems that Solomon is using hyperbole to show what is good and what is bad and the overall lesson here is that money kept beyond your lifetime ought only happen for the direct and explicit purpose of handing to those you are responsible for.

Summary: Store money for other’s sake, not for your own.

Proverbs 13:11

Dishonest money dwindles away,
but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.

Comments: Money that comes quickly and without effort is given little value and is lost with unwise spending. Money that is collected over time with patience and diligence is also money that is not spent rapidly. The time taken to grow the money teaches the earner that money shouldn’t be thrown away. Refer to the Proverb on wine and olive oil (Proverbs 21:17).

Summary: Money ought to have meaning. Earned properly and spent respectfully.

Meaning

Money is a passing tool for this life. Spent only on self, stored for abundance, throne away on indulgent things, this is poor form and ungodly. Spent with thankfulness to God, first to show thanks to God, second on the family, thirdly on the poor, this is rich in wisdom.

Application

  • Give thanks to God with your money. This is different to giving thank for your money. To give your money away for the work of the LORD is to show that you recognise where the blessing of money comes from (Proverbs 3:9-10. How do you love the LORD with your money? Would you consider your giving an act of faith or an act of guilt or works?
  • Giving money to the poor is a very clear instruction from the bible. With organisations in place to take money to the poor for us, how can we obey the principle of loving the poor? Discuss some issues and good godly practices for giving to the poor. Be careful that we seek to obey rather than seek to justify ourselves.
  • Generating money for the next generation is a wise thing but could also become an excuse for storing up unnecessary wealth. How do we police this for ourselves and how can we pass on godly wisdom on spending to our children?

Prayer of the Week

Lord, take our money and our lives and let us be only, ever, all for thee. Amen.